The Hexagon Counts feature in Metroview provides a unique way to visualize activity data by aggregating trips into uniform hexagonal cells. This method differs from line-based visualizations by displaying the count of activities through each hexagon, regardless of the underlying mapped infrastructure. It is especially valuable for understanding usage patterns in areas with new infrastructure or limited OpenStreetMap (OSM) data.
Using Hexagon Counts
To access Hexagon Counts:
- Navigate to the Map tab at the top of the Metroview page.
- In the Map Views panel on the left side of the page, select the Hexagons option under Counts.
Upon selection, the map will display a hexagon grid overlay. If prompted with a "Zoom in to load hexagons" message, either click the button or manually zoom into the desired area until the hexagons load. You may need to click the “Refresh hexagons in this area” button at the top left of the map to load the data. The overlay will adjust based on your current map extent and selected time frame.
The map window's current extent features a hexagon overlay with a color gradient to visualize the intensity of usage. Darker hexagons indicate a higher number of activities within the chosen time frame. Hovering over individual hexagons will display the Total trips counts and average speed for that hexagon.
Similarly, by clicking on an individual hexagon, the statistics panel on the right side will reflect information for your selection.
The filters on the lower-left corner of the screen can fine-tune the map data to show:
- Commutes or Leisure trips
- Time of day
- Morning: 5am - 10am
- Midday: 10am - 3pm
- Evening: 3pm - 8pm
- Overnight: 8pm - 5am
- Weekdays or Weekends
- Specific months or years
Combining these filters enables detailed analyses, such as identifying weekday morning commute patterns for a particular year.
Understanding the Hexagon Grid
Hexagon Counts use the h3 grid system, an open-source geospatial indexing system that partitions the world into hexagonal cells. For Hexagon Counts, we use H3 resolution 11, where each hexagon covers approximately:
- 2,149.643 m²
- 0.00083 square miles
- 0.53 acres
This resolution is sufficient to capture data for parallel line features such as footpaths, bike lanes, and traffic lanes.
Additional Notes and Considerations
-
Infrastructure Representation: Hexagon Counts are beneficial for assessing usage in areas where new infrastructure may not yet be represented in OSM. Since the data is aggregated spatially, activities on newly added trails or bike lanes will still be captured.
-
Privacy Standards: All data in Hexagon Counts adhere to Strava Metro's privacy and aggregation standards, ensuring individual activities cannot be identified.
- Data Export: Currently, there is no export functionality for Hexagon Counts.